The Vagabond Chronicles

Woke up yesterday, seriously dragging butt. The only thing that got me out of bed and into work was this past weekend.

On Thursday, Lola, Miriam’s helmet arrived. New motorcycle gear means one thing, the break-in ride. We headed out early Saturday towards Marin for a putt around the hills. Riding over the GG, the fog and the wind was typical for San Francisco Summer, and we chose to have breakfast in Sausilito, the sleepy little town just over the bridge. After a basic breakfast at Cafe Trieste, we headed towards the hills.

The plan was to head out on the PCH and cutback past Muir Woods towards Mt Tam. We would traverse the ridge line past Tam towards Bolinas-Fairfax road and finally head back into the city via the 101. The main roads were crawling with traffic and the secondary roads were shared with numerous cyclists. Tight twisty turns in the valley provided some shelter from the wind and the fog. While headed back to the city, the wind on the 101 was incredible. The unpredictable wind frequently tried to knock us into different lanes. My magnetic map bag blew off, and I nearly caught it and failed. Bummed more about the maps than the map bag.

We also had an opportunity to try the Fastrak pass on the Golden Gate. What a difference! We rolled through the Fastrak only lane, got the green light and continued on our way. As most riders know, the toll booth is a dangerous place for a motorcycle, often covered with oil and grease, eager drivers and frantic digging in the pockets with gloves for the toll. We had none of that. Roll, paid, GO!

Now, I need to get through the week so I can take my girl out for a ride…. come one Friday!